Telemarkers...sometimes it's good to have one around!

Gear fails. Whether it is operator error or a manufacturers defect, gear will break just when you least expect it. As Murphy's Law would have it we ended up deep in cold stream canyon off the back of Sugar Bowl when my friends split board binding spit out a pin. If you have never used a split board, they are fairly useless with out that pin. You might be able to rig the binding for a descent but in skin mode, it is essential. So there we were, at the bottom needing to skin out sans pin. We tried some cord which wore through after three steps and went back to the drawing board. Then I remembered I had my G3 binding repair kit with me that has an extra binding cable. The cable was the perfect diameter to replace the pin! A little duct tape and we were skinning to the top and even had a smooth ride back down the other side. So, even after the endless jokes about telemarkers having "broken heel pieces" etc, when the going gets tough no one refuses a field fix!

The Author

Lorenzo Worster

The most beautiful thing is to look back at your tracks in life without regrets. For as long as I can remember, skiing has been my passion. I came from the Rockies of Colorado to the California Sierras chasing my dream of being a professional telemark skier.